Question

Three elements B, Si and Ge are

• A. Metals
• B. Non metals
• C. Metalloids
• D. Metal, non-metal and metalloids respectively

Answer 1

The correct option is C

Metalloids

Explanation for the correct option:

1. Metalloids which have both properties of metals and non-metals and they lie in between metals and non-metals in periodic table.
2. B, Si and Ge are the metalloids of P-block.

Explanation for the incorrect options:

A) Metals: Metals are good conductors of electricity and heat, sonorous, lustrous, malleable, hard and ductile. But $\mathrm{B},\mathrm{Si},\mathrm{Ge}$ do not show these properties.

B) Non-metals: Non-metals are bad conductors of electricity and heat, non-sonorous and soft. But $\mathrm{B},\mathrm{Si},\mathrm{Ge}$ do not come under this category.

D) Metals, Non-metals and metalloids respectively: $\mathrm{B},\mathrm{Si},\mathrm{Ge}$ show the properties of metalloids and so they do not belong to the category of metals and non-metals.

Hence option (C) is correct. B, Si and Ge are the metalloids